Forming machine for compressed feeds



June 18, 1935. c. c. HALL FORMING MACHINE FOR COMPRESSED FEEDS Filed Jan. 16, 1934 3 Shets-Sheet l Znwentor Claude C. Hall June 18, 1935. c. c. HALL I FORMING MACHINE FOR COMPRESSED FEEDS Filed Jan. 16, 1934 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 lnventor Claude Cv Hall June 18, 1935. c. c. HALL FORMING MACHINE FOR COMPRESSED FEEDS Filed Jan. 16, 1954 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 3nvcntor Claude C. Hall 4 Gttorncg and/or grain meal.

Patented June 18, 1935 PATENT OFFICE FORMING MACHINE FOR CODIPRESSED FEEDS Claude C. Hall, Portland, Oreg.

Application January 16,

1934, Serial No. 706,818

10 Claims. (Cl. 107-44) This invention has reference to apparatus for compressing, molding and comminuting sundry plastic and analogous mixtures of materials consisting, in the main, of animal and/or vegetable The invention relates in particular to improvements in extrusion apparatusof the worm-screwv compression type wherein continuous compression, formation and comminutation of sundry materials into feeds is effected by means of a volume control and precompression mechanism, a uniquely shaped feed worm-screw conveyor assembly rotating within a cylindrical chamber to thereby forcibly extrude through a die-plate of a precise construction, said compressed materials in the form of ribbons which are comminuted into feeds of various kinds by a plurality of cutting members.

The present invention has incorporated therein a die-plate of the type illustrated, described and claimed in my United States application for the improvement in Die-plates, filed June 20, 1932, Serial No. 618,213. There is also incorporated in-the present invention, apparatus of the type illustrated, described and claimed in' my United States Letters Patent No. 1,946,740,.dated February 13, 1934, for the improvement in Apparatus for molding sundry materials. It is to be understood, however, that other types of dieplates and feed-worm assemblies may be used in conjunction with the invention withoutdigressing from the main features thereof.

Many attempts have heretofore been made to produce feeds suitable for poultry and/or other fowl but with no marked success. It has been and still appears to be the practice of cracking and breaking up larger sized feeds into small pieces to fit the requirements for poultry feeds. It has also been the custom, in order to produce feeds of a certain texture and density, to again process the feeds already compressed and comminuted. To overcome these and other salient disadvantages and extra steps in the process of manufacturing variously shaped and sized and differently constituted feeds, there are provided several elements and/or combinations of ele-' ments' which cooperate effectively in pre-compressing, compressing, molding and comminuting sundry materials.

The machine or apparatus consists in genera of a volume control and pre-compression mechanism which is directly aligned with a chute communicating with a screw-worm cylinder or casing in which a screw-worm conveyor assembly rotates and which has a die-plate at the delivery end thereof. Provision is made for mechanically bearing disposed within the die-plate.

regulating the distance between the inner face of the die-plate and the end of the screw-worm conveyor assembly; By means of these elements which operate independently or in cooperation with each other, the materials to be processed .5 are permitted to enter into the volume control and pre-compression chamber at a predetermined rate of speed so that the material may be properly pre-compressed therein before it is delivered to the screw-worm assembly which compresses 10 and, at the same time, conveys the material toward the die-plate at an even rate of speed and in substantially even quantity thus preventing excessive pressure developing within the screwworm cylinder and especially at the head of the 15 conveyor feed-worm. This material is, continuously carried by the conveyor feed-worm assembly to the area immediately in front of the dieplate and is then forced through the small perforations or openings in the die-plate under sub-v o stantially even pressure which produces ribbons of uniform size and density that are comminuted into small pellets by cutting members which are periodically rotated in direct relation to' the rotation of the conveyor feed-wormassembly.

The primary object of the invention is to provide a machine or apparatus which will control the volume of the material which can enterinto the apparatus, which will pre-compress the material prior to its entry into the feed-worm cham- 30 her, which will compress and convey forwardly the material entering the feed-worm chamber, which will extrude the material in a molded form and uniform density and which finally will be commi-nuted into minute particles of feed.;

The present invention has for one ofits 0bjects the provision of means. for retaining the feed-worm shaft in proper alignment at all times for preventing the premature wearing of j the An important object of the invention is to provide'means for not only regulating the amount of material permitted to enter into the screwworm cylinder or casing but also for subjecting the materials to a pre-compression before it is 45 permitted to enter into said cylinder.

Another object of the invention is to provide a machine or apparatus which is capable of processing substances of different consistency and texture either in a warm or cold state into feeds 50 of uniform shapes and density without causing excessive pressure within the screw-worm cylinder and also without packing the materials against the die-plate.

Equally important objects of my invention are to provide means for feeding, at a uniform rate of speed, a predetermined amount of the materials to be processed into the chamber of the volume control and pre-compression mechanism; to provide means for varying the pressure within said chamber to thereby pre-compress said material into ribbons of a substantially uniform density and to provide means for taking up the rearward thrust of the feed-worm assembly.

Further objects of the invention are to prevent the premature wear and deterioration of the dieplate used in conjunction with the machine or apparatus; to permit the use of extra thick dieplates and to prevent the premature wear and deterioration of the front end of the screw-worm assembly.

Another object of the invention is to provide a machine or apparatus which can be readily assembled for service or disassembled for cleaning or repairing and which is operable by the expenditure of a minimum of electrical and physical energy with an actual increase in output.

These and other advantages will become apparent from, and a full and complete understanding of the invention and its merits may be had by, referring to the following description and the accompanying drawings which are merely illustrative of the manner by which I at present carry the invention into effect and which are not a limitation to the invention, in which:

Figure 1 represents a longitudinal elevation of a machine or apparatus in accordance with my invention and embodying the preferred! form thereof.

Figure 2 represents a front elevation ofthe machine or apparatus shown in Figure 1.

Figure 3 represents a longitudinal elevation, in section, of most of the machine or apparatus shown in Figures 1 and 2, but parts of which are broken away.

Figure 4 represents a sectional top-plan view taken on line 4-4 of Figure 3 looking in the direction indicated, which illustrates the means for rotating the volume control and pre-compression mechanism.

Figure 5 is a perspective front view of the cutting members used in conjunction with the machine or apparatus embodying the invention.

Figure 6 is a front view of the casing which is threadably disposed about the feed-worm chamber, and a part of said casing is broken away to show the limiting lugs.

Figure 7 is a perspective front view of a retaining-rim which cooperates with the casing in holding the die-plate fixedly disposed relative to the front of the chamber.

Figure 8 is a sectional elevation of a part of the feed volume control and pre-compression mechanism shown as part of Figures 1, 2 and 3, more graphically indicating the construction of the inner portion thereof.

Figure 9 is a top-plan view of the structure shown in Figure 8 taken on line 9-9 of Figure 8 looking in the direction indicated.

Figure 10 is an inverted plan view of a part of the feed volume control and pre-compression mechanism shown in Figure 3 and taken on line ll0 of said figure looking in the direction indicated.

Figure 11 is a fragmentary, longitudinal elevation of the invention but illustrating a modified form of journal-bearing for the support of the front end of the feed-worm shaft.

Figure 12 is a front view of the structure illustrated in Figure 11.

Figure 13 is a side view of one of the members used for removably and fixedly engaging the modified form of Journal-bearing relative to the casing.

Similar reference characters are employed in the following description to designate identical or corresponding parts when they appear in the several views of the drawings. .j

The objects of my invention may be attained through the machine or apparatus illustrated in the drawings, in which reference character I designates a base which is suitable for the support of the operating units and may be constructed in any manner provided it prevents excessive vibration. An integral type prime mover and speed reducer 2 is removably secured to base i in any suitable manner. Supports 3 and 4 extend upwardly from base I and the conveyor-feed-worm and compression unit, designated generally by reference character B, is removably secured to support 3 in any well-known manner.

For a more detailed description of the conveyorfeed-worm driving unit A, reference is here made to Figure 3, wherein the casing is shown fixedly disposed upon support 4. Anti-friction bearing members 6 and I are disposed within said casing 5 in spaced relationship to each other. Standard ball-bearing member 6 has its outer raceway 8 fixedly held with respect to the inner flange 9 of the casing 5, and inner raceway I0 is fixedly secured to power take-off shaft II and held against ledge l2 by any suitable means, as by nut I3. The rearward thrust caused by the screwworm conveyor assembly, which is disposed in the conveyor-feed-worm and compression unit 13, as it operates on materials in process of compression and molding, is caught on the face I of the outer raceway 8 through the action of the ballbearings interposed between the two raceways of the bearing member 6, and this force is in turn dissipated throughout the feed-worm driving unit A and spent before the thrust is able toreach the prime mover. Standard roller-bearing member I has its outer raceway l5 fixedly held with respect to the inner flange iii of casing 5, and inner raceway I1 is fixedly secured to power takeoff shaft II and held against ledge l8 by any suitable means, as by nut is. An end plate 20, having a hub 2| extending therefrom which is directly aligned with bearings 6 and 1, is remov-- ably secured to end 22 of casing 5 by any suitable means, as by threaded bolts 23. A flange 24 is disposed on the opposite end of the conveyorfeed-worm driving. unit A, and flange permits the casing 5 to be removably secured to rear wall 25 of the conveyor-feed-worm and compression unit B by any suitable means, as by threaded bolts 26 and threaded nuts 21. This substantially solid connection between units A and B also serves to prevent any shock caused by the rearward thrust of the feed-worm assembly to reach beyond casing 5. Any suitable means for preventing the escapement of the oil which is normally disposed within chamber 28 of casing 5 to lubricate bearing members 6 and 1, such as packing 29 and 30, are disposed about power take-off shaft II. A filler-cap 3| threadably communicates with chamber 28 and enables the replenishment of the oil whenever necessary. A drain member 32 is threadably disposed through the base of casing 5 and communicates with the chamber 28.

The conveyor-feed-worm and compression unit, designated generally by reference character B. has its conveyor-feed-worm cylinder or casing 33 disposed upon support 3. A neck 3| is disposed on top and atthe rear of said cylinder and communicates with the interior 35 thereof. The rear wall 25 of cylinder 33 has an opening 36 disposed therethrough which is in direct alignment with hub 2|. End 31 of power take-off shaft H extends through the opening 36 and slightly into the interior 35 of casing 33. A recess-bearing 38 is disposed within end 31 of the shaft II for a purpose which will presently appear. A thread 39 is disposed on -the outside of casing 33 but not immediately adjacent to end 40 of said casing, for a purpose which will be explained later.

The diameter of the interior 35 is increased immediately adjacent the delivery end 4| of casing 33 as shown at 42, for a purpose which will presently appear. Ledge 43 is formed on the periphery of the enlarged interior 42 against which die-plate 44 is seated. The die-plate may be of the type commonly in use or may be constructed in accordance with the improved dieplate, upon which I have made application for Letters Patent now pending in' the United States Patent Office as heretofore stated. It is well to call attention to the fact that the construction of the present invention permits the use of a relatively thick die-plate whose diameter is somewhat greater than the type of die-plate now in use. By this expedient the output of the machine is greatly increased without increasing power consumption or affecting the operation of the machine.

A jacket 45, having an internal thread 46 therein, is threadably disposed about casing 33 so that threads 39 and 46 threadably cooperate to move the jacket horizontally with respect to the casing. Jacket 45 has a circumferential groove 45A therein and a plurality of locking ledges 41 extending downwardly from its outer periphery. Immediately under and at one end of each one of said ledges there is a stop-lug 48. Between said ledges are a plurality of dovetailed grooves 49, which permit a'retaining rim 58, having as many dovetailed lugs disposed about its circumference as there are ledges and dovetailed grooves, to be held in cooperative relationship with respect to the jacket 45 once the lugs 5| are inserted into the grooves 49 and the retaining rim turned so that the lugs 5| contact the stop-lugs 48 and rest thereagainst. The retaining rim 58 has a ledge 52 disposed therearound, which is adapted to hold the die-plate 44 in fixed position, not only with respect to itself but with respect to the ledge 43, notwithstanding the fact that the jacket 45 may be rotated about casing 33, as will hereinafter more fully appear.

A conveyor-feed-worm assembly, designated generally by reference character C, is rotatably disposed within the cylinder 33 and is composed of a feed-worm 53, a compression-head 54 and a guard-plate 55. Any feed-worm assembly may be utilized with this apparatus. However, preference is here given to the type of conveyor-feedworm assembly for which I have made application for patent now pending in the United States Patent Ofiice herein already identified. A plurality of shallow helical threads 56 and 51 are disposed about the body of the feed-worm 53. The compression-head 54 has helical threads identical in pitch to the threads on the feed-worm but are much deeper. The guard-plate 55 intimately fits against the delivery end of the compression-head. A shaft 58 is disposed through and extends beyond each end of the conveyor-feed-worm assembly C. The feed-worm 53 is fixedly secured to the shaft while the compression-head 54 and guard-plate 55 are. removably keyed to said shaft. The end 59 of the conveyor-feed-worm assembly shaft 58 is disposed in recess-bearing 38 of the power take-off shaft while the other end 68 is journaled in a bearing whose construction will be detailed forthwith.

To avoid the premature destruction of the dieplate 44, which is normally made of a mild metal, to assure the proper alignment of the conveyorfeed-worm assembly C relative to the casing 33 and the inner face 6| of the die-plate 44 and to avoid excessive rotational perturbations, there is provided a bearing 62, which is supported on a block 63 and which in turn is supported on supports 64 and 65 extending upwardly from the base This bearing is directly aligned with recessbearing 38 so that the conveyor-feed-worm assembly is rotated without any oscillation, and the die-plate 44, which is disposed about the shaft 58, is relieved of the necessity of supporting the shaft as has heretofore been the practice. The bearing-block 63, to which the bearing 62 is attached, may be easily removed from supports 64 and 65 by threadably disengaging the nuts 86 and 61 from the bolts 68 and 69. This arrangement permits easy accessibility to the operator for the removal of any portion of the conveyor-feed-worm assembly or the cutting members or die-plate.

In order to obtain proper exudation of the processed materials, it is necessary to maintain the inner face 6| of the die-plate 44 properly adjusted relative to the guard-plate 55. This is accomplished by the provision of a shaft 10, which is journaled within the base and has gear 1| secured to one of its ends; a gear-wheel 12, which is journaled about stub-shaft 13 and is at all times in mesh with gear 1|; a hand-wheel 14, which is secured to gear-wheel 12 in any wellknown manner. and has an operating-handle 15 secured thereto to facilitate the movement of said wheel; a journal 11 having shaft 11A therein; a pinion 16A, which is keyed to one end of shaft 11A; a worm 18, which is at all times in mesh with pinion 16A and is keyed to shaft 18; a gear 18, which is keyed to the other end of shaft 11A and a spur-gear 19, which is disposed on the outside of the jacket 45 and with which gear 16 is at all times in mesh. This arrangement permits the operator to make the proper adjustment between the die-plate and guard-plate. It at once becomes obvious that by the turning of the handwheel 14, threads 39 and 46 co-act so that jacket 45 is rotated about the casing or cylinder 33 to thereby move the jacket toward or away from the retaining rim 50, which in turn increases or decreases the pressure on the die-plate with a consequent increase or decrease in the distance between the inner force ,6| of the die-plate and the guard-plate 55.

The power take-off shaft is secured'to power shaft 80 of the integral prime mover and speed reducer 2 by a coupling 8|, which permits the easy uncoupling of the power unit 2 from the conveyorfeed-worm driving unit A whenever it becomes necessary to do so.

Any type of cutting members may be used in conjunction with the apparatus, but there is graphically illustrated in Figure 5 a preferred cutting member, designated generally by reference character D, which has a hub 82 from which arms 83 and 84 extend equidistant from each other but in the same plane and to which a pair of cutting blades 85 and 86 are attached by means of bolts 81, 88, 89 and 98, extending from said blades. Resilient members such as springs 9|, 92, 93 and they reach the neck I00 thereof.

04, are disposed about bolts 01, 00, 09 and 90, respectively. These resilient members areheld under tension between the faces 95 and 00 of the arms 03 and 04, and the faces 91 and of blades 00 and 00 by any suitable means. The cutting member D is removably keyed to shaft 50 and is held in fixed relation thereto by nut 09 that is threaded on thread I00 disposed about the shaft 50. The blades 05 and 05 are held in intimate contact with the outer face IOI of the die-plate by the tension imposed on the resilient members.

The construction of the volume control and pre-compression mechanism, designated generally by reference character E, is graphically illustrated in Figures 1, 3, 4 and 8 to 10 inclusive. A collar I02, having a peripheral ledge I03, is secured to flange I 04 of the neck 34 by any desirable means. A spider-journal I05 is fixedly positioned upon a portion of the flange I04 and encircled by the collar I02 so that the journal portion I00 slightly extends into the neck 34. A compressinghopper I01, having a neck I00, is rotatably positioned upon the collar I02 so that its racewayflange I09, which extends from the neck I00, is slightly spaced from, and is within, the peripheral ledge I03. A raceway-collar I I0 is secured to the peripheral ledge I03, so that it is in spaced relationship with the raceway-flange I09. Antifriction bearings III are disposed between the raceway-flange I09 and the raceway-collar H0 and transmit the upward thrust of the compressing-hopper I01 to collar IIO. A pinion H2 is secured about neck I00 of the hopper. The body of the compressing-hopper I0! is frusta-conical in shape so that the diameter of the compressinghopper increases from its neck I00 until it reaches the maximum diameter at II3.

A plurality of compressing-worm-screws H4, H5, H5 and II! are formed on and extend from the inner wall of the compressing-hopper I01 and follow the contour of the body of the hopper until It is easily seen that the compressing surface of each wormscrew is diminished in direct proportion to the diameter of the hopper, and, when the screwworms reach the neck I00, there is no compressing area whatever. A cylindrical core-member H0 is positioned within the compressing-hopper I01 so that its outer surface contacts the free ends of the screw-worms II4 to II] inclusive, to thereby form four relatively tight passageways, which, when the compressing-hopper is rotated, will positively force the materials downwardly and toward the die-grooves I20. By this construction precompression of the material is attained as it is being fed into the conveyor-feed-worm assembly B. A gear-rack I I9 is secured to the inner wall of the core-member I I0 and at the top portion thereof. A plurality of die-grooves I20 are formed within and positioned around the outside of the lower portion of thecore, and a stub-shaft I2I extends into the journal portion I06 of spiderjournai I05. A spider-journal I22 is positioned within the hopper and immediately above the screw-worms and has its hub I23 in intimate engagement with the upper portion of the coremember IIO.

Journal-arms I24 and I25 extend upwardly from and on opposite sides of the collar I02. A shaft I20 is journaled within said journal-arms and extends through slots I21 and I 20 disposed through the cylindrical core-member I I 0. A gear I29 is keyed to shaft I26 and is at all times in mesh with gear-rack II9. Hand-wheel I30 is Journal-bracket I30. A sprocket-wheel I30 is se-- cured to the free end I30 of the shaft I33, and a worm I40 is keyed to shaft I33 and co-acts with pinion II2. A sprocket-wheel MI is secured to power take-off shaft II and is in direct alignment with the sprocket-wheel I30. A sprocketchain I42 connects the two sprocket-wheels and thus permits power to be transmitted from shaft II .to shaft I33. By this arrangement the compressing-hopper m is constantly rotated so that the materials deposited into the hopper in any well-known manner are forced to enter the four passageways in order to be conveyed toward the neck portion of the compressing-hopper at a predetermined rate, but before the materials can enter the conveyor-feed-worm assembly B, the same must pass through die-grooves I20, and by this means the materials are compressed to any desired density depending, of course, upon the die-groove area which is exposed to the materials being conveyed.

The machine or apparatus illustrated in Figures 11 and 12 is identical in all respects to the preferred embodiment already described but has a different arrangement for the support of shaft 50. The jacket 45 is slightly modified and has a flange I43 around its periphery. A spider-journal I44, having journal-bearing I45 disposed therein, supports shaft 50 by having the arms I40; I41 and I40 that are radially disposed therefrom position the ledges I49, I50 and I5I formed at their free ends upon the flange I43, so that a cam I52, as illustrated in Figure 13, that is movably secured to each ledge, clamps said ledges against said flange. Each cam has a handle I53 secured thereto and by the turning of each handle the spider-joumal I44 can be readily clamped to or disengaged from the flange I43.

While the drawings illustrate a preferred embodiment of the invention and while I have herein described my invention as taking a particular form, it is to be understood that in adapting the means to meet specific needs and requirements, the design and various parts may be changed without departing from the spirit of the invention. I, therefore, do not limit myself to the precise construction illustrated and described but consider that I am at liberty to claim as my own all such changes and alterations as fairly come within the scope-of the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new. and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In apparatus-of the class described, in combination, a support, a cylinder supported thereon, a conveyor feed worm assembly rotatably disposed within said cylinder, a die plate disposed at the delivery end of said conveyor feed worm assembly, means for holding the die plate in fixed relationship to said cylinder, means cooperating with said first mentioned means for adjusting the relationship between the inner wall of said die plate and the end of the conveyor feed worm assembly, said means including an internally jacket, means cooperating with said spur gear for turning said jacket about said cylinder, a driving unit disposed upon the support and attached to said cylinder for driving said conveyor feed worm assembly and means for driving the driving unit.

2. In apparatus of the class described, in combination, a support, a cylinder supported thereon, a conveyor feed worm assembly rotatably disposed within said cylinder, a die plate disposed at the delivery end of said conveyor feed worm assembly, means for holding the die plate in fixed relationship to said cylinder, means cooperating with said first mentioned means for adjusting the relationship between the inner wall of said die plate and the end of the conveyor feed worm assembly, said means including a jacket disposed about the outside of said cylinder, and a spur gear disposed on the outside of said jacket, means cooperating with said spur gear for moving said jacket with respect to said cylinder, a driving unit disposed upon the support and attached to said cylinder for driving said conveyor feed worm assembly, means for driving the driving unit, and a volume control and pre-compression mechanism supported upon and communicating with the interior of said cylinder.

3. In apparatus of the class described, in com bination, a support, a cylinder supported thereon, a conveyor feed worm assembly rotatably disposed within said cylinder, a die plate disposed at the delivery end of said conveyor feed worm assembly, means for holding the die plate in fixed relationship to said cylinder, means cooperating with said first mentioned means for adjusting the relationship between the inner wall of said die plate and end of the conveyor feed worm assem-- bly, said means including an internally threaded jacket threadably disposed about the outside of the cylinder, a plurality of ledges and stop lugs disposed on the front end of said jacket and a spur gear disposed on the outside of said jacket, means cooperating with said spur gear for turning said jacket about said cylinder to thereby reduce or increase the pressure on the die plate, a driving unit disposed upon the support and attached to said cylinder for driving the conveyor feed worm assembly, said driving unit adapted to receive and dissipate the rearward thrust of said conveyor feed worm assembly, means for driving the driving unit, a volume control and pre-compression mechanism supported upon and communicating with the interior of said cylinder, means for driving said volume control and precompression mechanism, and means within said mechanism for regulating the rate of flow of the material and the amount of pre-compression to be applied to the materials being processed.

4. In apparatus of the class described, in combination, a support, a cylinder supported thereon, a conveyor feed worm assembly rotatably disposed within said cylinder, a die plate at the delivery end of said conveyor feed worm assembly, means for holding the die plate in fixed relationship to said cylinder, said means including a retaining ring having an annular groove therein and a plurality of lugs disposed around its periphery, means cooperating with said first mentioned means for adjusting the relationship between the inner wall of said die plate and the end of the conveyor feed worm assembly, said means including an internally threaded jacket threadably disposed about the outside of the cylinder, a plurality of ledges and stop lugs disposed on the front end of said jacket and adapted to interlock with the lugs disposed around the .periphery of said retaining ring and a spur gear disposed on the outside of said jacket, means cooperating with said spur gear for turning said jacket about said cylinder, a driving unit disposed upon the support and attached to said cylinder r for driving the conveyor feed worm assembly and means for driving the driving unit.

5. In apparatus of the class described, in combination, a support, a cylinder supported thereon, a conveyor feed worm assembly, rotatably disposed within said cylinder, a die plate at the delivery end of said conveyor feed worm assembly, means for holding the die plate in fixed relationshi to said cylinder, said means including a retaining ring having an annular groove therein and a plurality of lugs disposed around its periphery, means cooperating with said first mentioned means for adjusting the relationship between the inner wall of said die plate and the end of the conveyor feed worm assembly, said means including a jacket disposed about the outside of the cylinder, a plurality of ledges and stop lugs disposed on the front end of said jacket and adapted to interlock with the lugs disposed around the periphery of said retaining ring, means for moving said jacket with respect to said cylinder, a driving unit disposed upon the support and attached to said cylinder for driving the conveyor feed worm assembly, means for driving the driving unit, a volume control and pre-compression mechanism supported upon and communicating with the interior of said cylinder and means for driving the volume control and precompression mechanism.

6. In apparatus of the class described, in combination with any machine producing compressed feeds, a volume control and pre-compression mechanism comprising a hopper in communication with and rotatably disposed in cooperative relationship to said machine, means disposed within said hopper for controlling the rate of flow of materials entering therein, and means positioned with respect to the last mentioned means for pre-compressing the materials delivered thereto prior to the entry of said materials into said machine, said means including a cylindrical die-core member disposed centrally of the hopper and adapted for vertical movement relative to said hopper.

7. In apparatus of the class described, in combination with any machine producing compressed feeds, a volume control and pre-compression mechanism comprising a hopper in communication with and rotatably disposed in cooperative relationship to said machine, means disposed within said hopper for controlling the rate of fiow' of materials entering therein, means positioned with respect to the last mentioned means for precompressing the materials delivered thereto prior to the entry of said materials into said machine, and means for raising or lowering the means for pre-compressing the materials delivered thereto.

8. In apparatus of the class described, in combination with any machine producing compressed feeds, a volume control and pre-compression mechanism comprising, a hopper in communication with and rotatably disposed in cooperative relationship to said machine, means disposed within said hopper for controlling the rate of flow of materials entering therein, said means including a plurality of screw worms extending inwardly from the inner wall of said hopper to form spiral passages therein and means positioned with respect to the last mentioned means for pre-compressing the materials delivered thereto prior to the entry of said materials into said machine, said means including a die-core member disposed centrally of the hopper and adapted for vertical movement relative to said screw worms.

9. In apparatus of the class described, in combination with any machine producing compressed feeds, a volume control and pre-compression mechanism comprising a hopper in communication with and rotatably disposed in cooperative relationship to said machine, means disposed within said hopper for controlling the rate of flow of materials entering therein, said means including a plurality of screw worms extending inwardly from the inner wall of said hopper, means positioned with respect to the last mentioned means for pre-compressing the materials delivered thereto prior to the entry of said materials into said machine, said means including a die-core member disposed centrally of the hopper and adapted for vertical movement relative to said screw worms and means for raising andilowering said die-core.

10. In apparatus oi, the class described, in combination with any machine producing compressed feeds, a volume control and pre-compression mechanism comprising a hopper in communication with and rotatably disposed in cooperative relationship to said machine, means for rotat ing said hopper, means disposed within said hopper for controlling the rate oi. flow of materials entering therein said means including a plurality of screw worms extending inwardly from the inner wall 01' the hopper to form spiral p s ageways therein, means positioned with respect to the last mentioned means for pre-compressing the materials delivered thereto, said means including a cylindrical die-core member disposed centrally oi the hopper adjacent said screw worms, said die-core member having a series of die slots formed atone end thereof, and means 20 for raising or lowering said die-core member.

CLAUDE C. HALL. 

